The objectives of the research are: (1) to develop a fundamental understanding of the photophysics for the solid-matrix luminescence (SML) of the highly toxic benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-DNA adducts, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P)-DNA adducts, and both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) adducts bonded to the same sample of DNA so the basic principles developed can be broadly exploited analytically for a variety of multiple adducted PAH-DNA samples; (2) to elucidate the fundamental photophysical principles of the heavy-atom effect with solid-matrices to characterize B[a]P-DNA adducts, DB[a,l]P-DNA adducts, and the two PAH adducts bonded to the same sample of DNA; (3) to lower the limits of detection for the SML of the B[a]P-DNA adducts, DB[a,l]P-DNA adducts, and both adducts bonded to DNA at the levels found in most human samples; (4) to demonstrate that SML can be used to characterize and detect PAH-DNA adducts in purified blood samples from workers exposed to used motor oil and in purified placental DNA samples. The expected benefits from the research will be: (1) a fundamental foundation of photophysical knowledge for SML that could be applied broadly to divergent PAH-DNA adducts; (2) highly selective, sensitive, and relatively inexpensive SML methods for the direct characterization of the PAH-DNA adducts individually and in multiple forms; (3) several methods that would be very effective for cancer research related to B[a]P-DNA adducts, DB[a,l]P-DNA adducts, and DNA samples bonded with different types of PAH which are important in assessing the environmental dangers from PAH.